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Salsa roja

From WikiTacos, the taco encyclopedia · Salsa
Also known as: Red salsa, Salsa de jitomate

Salsa roja is the general name for Mexican red table sauces based on tomato or dried red chiles, from fresh roasted-tomato salsas to smooth chile de árbol blends. With salsa verde it forms the basic pair of taquería sauces.

Contents
  1. Description
  2. Roasted tomato style
  3. Dried chile style
  4. Recipe
  5. Reviews
  6. See also
  7. References

Description

Larousse files salsa roja together with salsa ranchera and salsa de jitomate, which reflects how broad the term is. A red salsa may be a chunky blend of roasted tomatoes, fresh chile, onion and cilantro, or a smooth purée of toasted dried chiles with little or no tomato.

Roasted tomato style

A common home and taquería style roasts or chars tomatoes, fresh chiles and garlic before grinding them, which adds a smoky depth. Rick Bayless's rustic roasted tomato salsa, for instance, dry-roasts jalapeños and unpeeled garlic, pulses them with tomatoes and finishes with rinsed white onion, cilantro and a little lime or vinegar.

Dried chile style

At many taquerías the red sauce is built on dried chiles, especially chile de árbol, and can be very hot; see salsa taquera and salsa de chile de árbol. Chipotle and morita chiles give smoky red salsas, and pasilla goes into the pulque-based salsa borracha.

Recipe

Makes About 2 cups · Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 500 g ripe plum tomatoes
  • 2 jalapeños or 4 serranos
  • 2 unpeeled garlic cloves
  • 1/2 white onion, finely chopped and rinsed
  • 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1 tsp lime juice (optional)
  • Salt

Steps

  1. Roast the tomatoes, chiles and garlic in a dry skillet or under a broiler until blackened in spots and soft, about 10 to 15 minutes.
  2. Peel the garlic and stem the chiles.
  3. Pulse the chiles and garlic in a blender or molcajete, then add the tomatoes with their juices and pulse to a coarse texture.
  4. Stir in the onion and cilantro, season with lime and about 1/2 tsp salt, and thin with water if needed.

Add the onion and cilantro just before serving if the salsa will sit for several hours.

Reviews

Reviews and tips open at launch. Readers will be able to share where they found the best version of this and how they make it at home.

See also

References

  1. "Salsa roja". Larousse Cocina (Diccionario enciclopédico de la Gastronomía Mexicana). Retrieved 2026-10-10.
  2. "Rustic Roasted Tomato Salsa". Rick Bayless. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
Categories: Salsas Salsas and garnishes Tomato dishes